Former Old Trafford star slams “one of the worst goalkeepers in Man Utd’s history”

Since arriving from Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, Andre Onana has struggled to convince as Manchester United’s starting goalkeeper.

His ball-playing abilities are exceptional and he is able to make incredible one-off saves but his shot-stopping is not at the same level as the league’s top keepers.

Nevertheless, Onana struck a confident figure ahead of United’s Europe League game against Lyon this week.

“We all know the importance of this game, we will go there with the winning mentality,” Onana said ahead of the tie. “We have to go there and show who we are. If we are focused, stay compact and together and follow the game plan we will be winning the game. Of course, it’s not going to be easy, but I think we are way better than them.”

The Cameroonian may fancy his side’s chances ahead of Thursday’s game but he’s drawn criticism from a former United player who will be lining up for Lyon this week.

What did Nemanja Matic say about Onana?

In the world of professional sports, pregame press conferences can be fairly dull. However Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic came out swinging in response to Onana’s claims, issuing a bold statement of his own.

“I don’t know. To say something like that, you need to have courage,” Matic said. “I respect everyone, but I need to answer. When you’re one of the worst goalkeepers in Man Utd’s history, you need to take care about what you are talking.”

The Serbian continued: “If David de Gea, Peter Schmeichel or Van der Sar said that, I will question myself. But if you are statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Man Utd’s modern history, then he needs to show that, before he says so. We will see.”

Matic enjoyed a successful stint in the Premier League with Chelsea, winning two league titles with the team under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. He followed Mourinho to United in 2017 but was unable to repeat that success at Old Trafford, highlighting how difficult it is to succeed in the red half of Manchester.

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